Monday

~Pitcher & Bowl Story~

~Bicentennial Project~***********************************************During the 1970's, I served 4 years, as co-leader and leader of two Brownie Troups and one year as neighborhood secretary, for the Girl Scout Council of Greater St Louis. Toward the end of the 1975-76 school year, the scout leaders of our community enrolled our scouts in a ceramic class. The classes were held at a ceramic shop, in a private home. For 6 weeks, we met each Saturday morning, to work on our projects. I chose to make the pitcher and bowl, shown in the top photo. Through trial and error and more than one oops, I managed to complete the project. Because we were celebrating the 200th birthday of our country, that year, many Americans made quilts, ceramics, paintings and other arts and crafts, to commemorate the Bicenntenial. I signed and dated the pitcher and bowl and named it my "Bicentennial Project".

~ Cowpens Battlefield~

Reading John Jakes' Charleston, this past week, prompted me to post about my project. The book begins toward the end of the American Revolutionary War.

The photo, at right, shows a monument, erected by The Washington Light Infantry, of Charleston, South Carolina, in 1856, near the final stages of the Battle of Cowpens, to commemorate the important American victory. It stands as the earliest testament to valor of the Patriotic Army at Cowpens.

I've chosen Cowpens, for this post, because my 6 times great grandfather fought at this battle. Alexander Edwards' brother, David, was encamped at Cowpens. Sixteen year old Alexander delivered a letter to his brother, telling him his wife was gravely ill. David asked for furlough, but was told a battle was emminent and no furloughs were being granted. Alexander offered to take David's place. David was permitted to leave for a short time. During that time, a pivotal battle of the American Revolutionary War was fought and won by the Americans. Alexander (my forefather) was issued a certificate for his bravery during the battle and his name is listed in the index of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Alexander's father Cader, settled in America during the 1750's. He was from Wales. Even though Cader was quite old at the time of the Revolutionary War, he served at the Battle of King's Mountain.

At the time of the Battle of Cowpens, the Edwards family lived in what is now Sullivan County Tennessee. It would be almost 100 years, before the family found their way to our beloved Ozarks.

We visited Cowpens Battlefield in 2005. There was a feeling of eeriness, as we walked through the site, imagining what had happened there over 200 years ago.

**Our family history was researched by my mother's aunt, around 40 years ago. I have a bound copy of that history. It's wonderful having great family stories to read, from time to time. I gathered information from that history for today's post.

MOLLY

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think of you.~John Wooden

It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, that we will begin to live each day to the fullest; as if it were the only one we had.~Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross~